Two-way zipper in infant garment

ABSTRACT

An infant garment includes a two-way zipper having a first, open end at the neckline of the garment and a second, closed end at one of the foot/ankle regions of the garment. A first and second zipper pull are configured to close the zipper when they are moved to the top and bottom, respectively, of the zipper track. A protective cover is positioned at the closed end of the zipper to cover the second zipper pull when it is located there. The cover is stitched to the garment on three of its sides, leaving only the top open for access to the second zipper pull. The pull tabs on each of the zipper pulls are devoid of openings along the portion of the pull opposite from the portion connected to the zipper pull.

BACKGROUND

A common type of clothing garment worn by infant children is known as asleep and play (or similar variations of that name). As is well known,the sleep and play garment typically covers the entire torso of theinfant as well as the legs, feet, and arms, although the garment mayhave no sleeves, short sleeves, or long sleeves. Optionally, the garmentmay not cover the feet. Typically, the garment has a zipper or snapfastener running from the neckline to somewhere below the waist.

Typically, the zipper has a zipper pull which includes a slider and alsoincludes a standard pull tab that has an opening formed therein. Thezipper is typically configured so that it is closed when the zipper pullis near the neckline and is open when the zipper pull is at the otherend of the zipper.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is an article of infant's clothing that includes afabric body having a neckline and an ankle area; a 2-way zipper having afirst and a second zipper pull movable along a zipper track, wherein thefirst zipper pull is located closer to the neckline than the secondzipper pull, the zipper track terminating in a first, open end at theneckline and in a second, closed end at the ankle area; and a fabriccover over the second end of the zipper track to at least partiallycover the second zipper pull when it is located there, the fabric coverbeing attached to the fabric body in the region to each lateral side ofthe second end and in the region below the second end, so that thesecond zipper pull is only accessible from above the second end.

The second zipper pull may include a slider and a pull tab attached tothe slider, wherein the pull tab is elongated and includes a first endattached to the slider and a second end, wherein the second end isdevoid of openings therein. The article may also include a protectiveflap that can selectively be engaged with the fabric body to at leastpartially cover the first end of the zipper track in order to at leastpartially cover the first zipper pull when it is located there.

The zipper may open when the first zipper pull is moved away from thefirst end and the zipper may close when the first zipper pull is movedtoward from the first end. The zipper may open when the second zipperpull is moved away from the second end and the zipper may close when thesecond zipper pull is moved toward from the second end. The secondzipper pull may be moved up to a central region on the zipper track toexpose an entire leg of the infant, to allow a caregiver to have accessto the legs and crotch region of the infant in order to be able tochange the infant's diaper without removing the infant from theremainder of the article of clothing.

The zipper track may terminate in the second, closed end at an ankleseam. The second, closed end may be on a left leg of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infant garment including a two-way zipper.

FIG. 2 is close-up view of a foot portion of the infant garment of FIG.1, showing the lower, closed end of the two-way zipper with a lowerzipper pull largely concealed behind a protective cover.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but shown with the protective coverunstitched along its two lateral edges, so as to reveal the lower zipperpull.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but shown with the lower zipper pullmoved partly up the zipper track to show how the zipper opens at thelower end of the garment when the lower zipper pull is moved up thetrack.

FIG. 5 is a close-up view of a neckline portion of the infant garment ofFIG. 1, showing the upper, open end of the two-way zipper with an upperzipper pull moved partly down the zipper track to show how the zipperopens at the upper end of the garment when the upper zipper pull ismoved down the track.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is not intended to limit the invention to theform disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modificationscommensurate with the following teachings, and skill and knowledge ofthe relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. Theembodiments described herein are further intended to explain modes knownof practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art toutilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with variousmodifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of thepresent invention.

An infant sleep and play garment 10 is shown in FIG. 1. It includes atorso portion 12, a pair of arms 14 and 16, a neck opening 18, and apair of legs 20 and 22. The garment 10 includes a zipper system 24 thatselectably opens and closes the garment 10 for ease of placing an infantin or removing all or a portion of an infant therefrom. The zippersystem 24 includes a zipper track 26 and first and second zipper pulltabs 28 and 30. As will be seen below, a first end of the zipper track26 is an open end along the neckline 18 and a second end of the zippertrack 26 is a closed end located in the foot/ankle region of the leg 22of the garment 10. As can be seen, the zipper track 26 is largelycovered by a right fabric placket 32 and a left fabric placket 34 thatrun the length of the zipper track. These plackets 32 and 34 may lightlytouch each other or they may be easily spread apart by a user to gainaccess to any portion of the zipper system. Further, the zipper pulltabs 28 and 30 may remain outside of the plackets 32 and 34, as is shownin FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the second end 52 of the zipper track 26 iscovered by a protective fabric cover 40 that is stitched to the fabricof the garment 10 along a lower edge 42 of the cover 40 as well as alongboth lateral side edges 44 and 46 of the cover 40. The lower edge 42 isstitched to an ankle seam and the lateral side edges are stitched to twoother seams. As can be seen best in FIG. 3, the second zipper pull tab30 is attached to a lower zipper slider 50 that is shown in this drawingto be located at the second end 52, but is movable along the zippertrack 26 to selectably open and close the zipper. Note that, solely forease of understanding, in FIG. 3 the cover 40 is shown as if stitchedonly along the bottom edge 42.

FIG. 4 shows the second end 52 after the second pull tab 30 has beenmanipulated to move the lower zipper slider 50 some distance up thezipper track 26. As can be seen, this action has opened the zipper toexpose the ankle 60 of the infant.

FIG. 5 shows a first end 62 of the zipper track 26. As can be seen, aprotective flap 64 is stitched to the fabric of the garment 10 along onelateral side edge 66. The protective flap 64 can be selectably securedto the fabric of the garment 10 on an opposite side of the zipper track26 by engaging a snap stud 70 on the flap 64 with a snap socket 68 onthe garment 10. As demonstrated in FIG. 5, the zipper is opened bymoving a first zipper slider 72 down the zipper track 26, such as may beaccomplished by manipulating the first zipper pull tab 28.

It should be noted that each of the zipper pull tabs 28 and 30 is of anon-standard nature. The zipper pull tabs 28 and 30 each are shaped in arectangular fashion (although other shapes could also be employed) andhave an opening formed therein to pivotally engage with a feature on therespective zipper slider. Other than this single opening on each pulltab, the tabs have no other openings formed therein. Typically, mostzipper pull tabs have a second opening formed therein at an end oppositefrom the pivotal attachment that is larger than the one that engageswith the zipper slider. It has been discovered that this opening mayundesirably engage with portions of an infant (or other objects), so ithas been eliminated.

It can be seen that the two-way nature of the zipper can allow acaregiver to access the feet, legs, and lower torso of the infantwithout completely removing the infant from the garment such as may benecessary with a standard zipper with a single zipper pull located atthe top of the garment. In this manner, the caregiver may choose toremove the infant's legs and change the infant's diaper for example, allwhile the infant's upper torso and arms remain in the garment.

Further, the protective cover at the second end of the zipper serves toreduce contact of the second zipper pull with other objects or with theinfant. In addition, the fact that the cover is stitched to the garmenton three of the four sides thereof, serves to further reduce thelikelihood of undesired contact with the second zipper pull. The coveris not stitched along a top side edge so as to allow the zipper pull tobe moved to the second end and to be moved away from the second end andto allow a caregiver to reach underneath the cover in order tomanipulate the second zipper pull.

While various features of the present design have been discussedseparately, it should be understood that any of these features may becombined in a garment with or without any other of the features orcombination of the features.

Although certain details have been described herein, it should beunderstood that various alternatives and modifications could also bemade. For example, the garment design described herein is applicable toany different type of infant garment. Thus, it may be applicable togarments having different types of neck openings, sleeves, and composedof any material suitable for a garment, and could be equally applicableto other possible variations of garment.

1. An article of infant's clothing, comprising a fabric body having aneckline and an ankle area; a 2-way zipper having a first and a secondzipper pull movable along a zipper track, wherein the first zipper pullis located closer to the neckline than the second zipper pull, thezipper track terminating in a first, open end at the neckline and in asecond, closed end at the ankle area; and a fabric cover over the secondend of the zipper track to at least partially cover the second zipperpull when it is located there, the fabric cover being attached to thefabric body in the region to each lateral side of the second end and inthe region below the second end, so that the second zipper pull is onlyaccessible from above the second end.
 2. An article of infant's clothingas defined in claim 1, wherein the second zipper pull includes a sliderand a pull tab attached to the slider, wherein the pull tab is elongatedand includes a first end attached to the slider and a second end,wherein the second end is devoid of openings therein.
 3. An article ofinfant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the article alsoincludes a protective flap that can selectively be engaged with thefabric body to at least partially cover the first end of the zippertrack in order to at least partially cover the first zipper pull when itis located there.
 4. An article of infant's clothing as defined in claim1, wherein the zipper opens when the first zipper pull is moved awayfrom the first end and the zipper closes when the first zipper pull ismoved toward from the first end.
 5. An article of infant's clothing asdefined in claim 1, wherein the zipper opens when the second zipper pullis moved away from the second end and the zipper closes when the secondzipper pull is moved toward from the second end.
 6. An article ofinfant's clothing as defined in claim 5, wherein the second zipper pullcan be moved up to a central region on the zipper track to expose anentire leg of the infant, to allow a caregiver to have access to thelegs and crotch region of the infant in order to be able to change theinfant's diaper without removing the infant from the remainder of thearticle of clothing.
 7. An article of infant's clothing as defined inclaim 1, wherein the zipper opens at the first end when the first zipperpull is moved away from the first end and the zipper closes at the firstend when the first zipper pull is moved toward from the first end andthe zipper opens at the second end when the second zipper pull is movedaway from the second end and the zipper closes at the second end whenthe second zipper pull is moved toward from the second end.
 8. Anarticle of infant's clothing as defined in claim 1, wherein the zippertrack terminates in the second, closed end at an ankle seam.
 9. Anarticle of infant's clothing as defined in claim 8, wherein the second,closed end is on a left leg of the garment.